What Are Some Good Chapter Books for Fifth Graders?

Some recommended chapter books for fifth graders include "Hatchet" by Gary Paulsen, "Kit's Wilderness" by David Almond, "Peak" by Roland Smith and "The White Darkness" by Geraldine McCaughrean. Classic titles are also popular chapter books for fifth graders, according to GreatSchools. One example is "The Secret Garden" by Frances Hodgson Burnett.

"The Secret Garden" follows the development of two troubled children who cooperate to revive a hidden, dying garden. This book, published by HarperCollins, is illustrated by Tasha Tudor for a more gradual transition for young readers into reading chapter books.

"Hatchet" follows the story of plane crash survivor Brian, who finds himself stranded in the Canadian wilderness. Among the ordeals he is forced to face, armed with little more than the hatchet of the title, are attacks from wildlife, extreme weather and loneliness. The book, published by Simon & Schuster, is 192 pages.

The 246-page "Peak" is also set in the wilderness, in this case at Mount Everest, where a teenager is sent in lieu of juvenile detention, along with his estranged father.

Some other recommended titles are the humorous "What Would Joey Do?" by Jack Gantos, "The Canning Season" by Polly Horvath and the mystery titles "Airborn" by Kenneth Oppel and "Chasing Vermeer" by Blue Balliett.